This specification relates to processing passenger information for transit systems.
Passengers can board vehicles of public transit systems, e.g., buses and trains, by using a variety of payment methods, including presenting tokens or cash, presenting purchased tickets, swiping a loaded fare card in a card reader, or tapping a near-field communications (NFC) or radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag at fixed gates. If the payment method is authorized, the system, or a transit official, authorizes the passenger to board the transit vehicle, for example, by allowing the passenger to pass through a turnstile or board a bus or train, as the case may be.
However, these methods of paying for transit are cumbersome and interfere with the boarding process. Long lines can form at ticket machines, turnstiles, and when boarding transit vehicles due to time that is spent processing payments from passengers and authorizing the passengers to board. Passengers must first acquire cash or tokens, or they must keep track of a separate transit card or multiple transit cards for multiple transit systems or cities. Preloaded fare cards can run out and can require manual reloading.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.